After the incidents in Birmingham, Civil Rights activists and people previously disaffected by the movement realized they had to rise up in a greater volume than ever if they wanted to create a fundamental change in society. In August of 1963, the Civil Rights Movement had reached a state of enthusiastic mobilization. At this point in the movement, the rhetorical strategies employed by the movement are fully confrontational. If there wasn’t already polarization between the movement and the institution, there surely was now. In the eyes of the movement, an individual was either with the movement or actively fighting against it and fighting against justice and democracy. The March on Washington On August 28, 1963, over 200,000 people flocked
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Before their arrival, the voter registration rate among blacks was only one percent. The office of registrars in Selma had been known for their failure to register African-Americans. Therefore, to protest for their right to vote, approximately 105 teachers and other activists walked down to the office of registrars and lined up as if they would be served. There, they met Sheriff Jim Clark, who launched a domino effect of continual agitation, harassment, and violence against the local civil rights workers. Richard Valeriani tells of a nighttime march they held later than evening and the harassment they experienced:
As the march continued, Alabama State Troopers were radioed in to end the march. After the State Troopers arrived, tensions continued to rise until Jimmy Lee Jackson, a 26-year-old man from Marion, was beaten and then shot by a state trooper. On the death of Jimmy Lee Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered these remarks on the injustice that took place that …show more content…
The most famous example of music in the Civil Rights Movement is Joan Baez’s song “We Shall Overcome,” which eventually became the anthem of nearly all social movements. At the March on Washington, a young 22-year-old Joan Baez performed her song and captivated the enormous crowd of over 200,000 people. The powerful lyrics to “We Shall Overcome” are listed below:
Identification and Polarization As the Civil Rights Movement progressed into enthusiastic mobilization, identification within the movement continued to grow and polarization against the institution continued to expand. Through marching, collective activism, and increased attention on the movement, large numbers of people who were previously disaffected by the movement now identified with the cause and acted alongside the movement. As one would expect, the increase in size and action within the movement led to increased violence and harassment from the opposition, resulting in a severe division between the Civil Rights Movement and the opposition.
Institutional Response to Enthusiastic Mobilization
Police
Before their arrival, the voter registration rate among blacks was only one percent. The office of registrars in Selma had been known for their failure to register African-Americans. Therefore, to protest for their right to vote, approximately 105 teachers and other activists walked down to the office of registrars and lined up as if they would be served. There, they met Sheriff Jim Clark, who launched a domino effect of continual agitation, harassment, and violence against the local civil rights workers. Richard Valeriani tells of a nighttime march they held later than evening and the harassment they experienced:
As the march continued, Alabama State Troopers were radioed in to end the march. After the State Troopers arrived, tensions continued to rise until Jimmy Lee Jackson, a 26-year-old man from Marion, was beaten and then shot by a state trooper. On the death of Jimmy Lee Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered these remarks on the injustice that took place that …show more content…
The most famous example of music in the Civil Rights Movement is Joan Baez’s song “We Shall Overcome,” which eventually became the anthem of nearly all social movements. At the March on Washington, a young 22-year-old Joan Baez performed her song and captivated the enormous crowd of over 200,000 people. The powerful lyrics to “We Shall Overcome” are listed below:
Identification and Polarization As the Civil Rights Movement progressed into enthusiastic mobilization, identification within the movement continued to grow and polarization against the institution continued to expand. Through marching, collective activism, and increased attention on the movement, large numbers of people who were previously disaffected by the movement now identified with the cause and acted alongside the movement. As one would expect, the increase in size and action within the movement led to increased violence and harassment from the opposition, resulting in a severe division between the Civil Rights Movement and the opposition.
Institutional Response to Enthusiastic Mobilization
Police